For years I’ve been wondering why there aren’t more games based around the combat from Japanese RPG videogames. There are loads of games influenced by JRPGs but none of them have ever managed to capture that Final Fantasy combat feel, which is odd when you consider it’s such a mechanical system and a popular genre. Well upcoming Kickstarter game Terrene Odyssey is just that, a card game that duplicates JRPG battles

Do you trust your friends? Next time you’re sitting across a game table from one, look into their eyes, they could be a spy, no they are a spy and they’re here to ruin your day. In fact they could all be spies, every single person around the table, but you know you’re one of the good guys and you need to root out the corruption at the heart of this game. And that, my friends, is the level of paranoia that The Resistance is all about.

In a bizarre turnaround of events I interviewed Michael Fox from Game Salute and the Little Metal Dog Show at the UK Games Expo 2014. We spoke about Game Salute, mass population control and facing the wrath of internet forums. As you might be able to tell I was a little nervous at interviewing one of the biggest interviewers in the board game industry. A big thank you to Michael for taking the time out of demoing to talk.

Many companies are trying to tap into the multiple platforms of trading card games (TCGs) and video games. Some are awesome while others are completely pants. London based development team Aeterna Studios are attempting to take the crossover a step further by adding massively multiplayer online role playing game (aka MMORPG) elements to the genre in the upcoming game Eminence: Xander’s Tales.

Football and board games don’t always go together, to me they are at completely opposite ends of the play ground but ever since Subbuteo there has been a linkup between tabletop gaming and the beautiful game. Too Much Games are attempting to create a link yet again between the pitch and the table with Next England Captain, a game about promoting your player to the England squad, currently raising funds on Kickstarter.

Fantasy Flight Games have released details about the next wave of ships for Star Wars X-Wing Miniatures Game and the good news is they’re not from the prequels. The bad news is that you have to be a complete Star Wars nut to recognise them.

Beer and gaming have always gone together, from shove ha’penny to darts and pool, games and booze have lived hand in hand throughout history. However, in Every Round Counts, instead of drinking the beer the game is all about serving the beer and being the best damn beer server in the bar.

“Hit him with the chair!” It’s not very often I yell something like that while playing a game, but a combination of the great atmosphere at the UK Games Expo, some very enthusiastic demo staff from Backspindle Games and a dice game with a large dose of silliness meant my reservations where put to one side and I delighted in the wanton glee of pins, headlocks and Luchador!

A lot of things happened over the weekend at the UK Games Expo and it was impossible to be in more than one place at a time, so much so that I completely missed one of the biggest announcements at the show; that Matt Leacock is working with Modiphius Entertainment to create a Thunderbirds board game!